"You've got some gray going on there."

Dito

Shared on Tue, 07/10/2007 - 11:56
That's what a colleague said to me yesterday.  He's an older guy, around 60, with plenty of his own grey hair.  Since I like and respect this guy, I know he wasn't just saying that to smart off.  I guess it means my grey hair is getting pretty noticeable.
 
Hell, I'm only 38.  I've been going gray since my early 20's.  My beard (goatee) is almost completely white.  The mustache, however, has stayed dark with only a few white stragglers.  People almost always guess my age as mid-to-late 40's, even though I'm wrinkle-free and have a full head of hair.
 
I've got resumes out, looking hard for a new job.  I got my first serious callback yesterday.  Next week, I've got an interview with a major-league engineering firm.  The education section of my resume apparently puzzled the recruiter.  She thought I was a fresh-from-college kid looking for his first real job.  I'll be finishing my associate's degree at the end of this year.  It'll be my first and only degree.  Sorry, not a college kid - I'm 38 years old with plenty of gray hair.
 
So now I'm feeling unusually self-conscious about the gray.  This is a second career for me and I really need to move up in my field.  Although I think I got the point across that I'm not a just-graduated frat boy, I don't want them to perceive me as a gray-haired old timer either. 
 
The barbershop/salon (Floyd's) says they could color it without looking fake.  I think it'd run me about $50.  I've used the Just For Men stuff before, and my hair came out Ronald Reagan black.  It looked totally bizarre, but since I was an unemployed student at the time, I found it amusing and let it be.
 
The question before me is a simple one.  Should I attempt to dye my hair and get back a few years?  Or should I just go as-is and accept what genetics has handed me?  Feel free to comment, and I'll post a decision in a few days.

Comments

TDrag27's picture
Submitted by TDrag27 on Tue, 07/10/2007 - 12:03
Let it go gray. Don't let someone's stupid comment get you all self-conscious.
doorgunnerjgs's picture
Submitted by doorgunnerjgs on Tue, 07/10/2007 - 12:14
I disagree with TDrag (it had to happen at least once). I would either dye it or remove the goatee totally. I have a full beard (white as snow) and salt and pepper hair on my head. If I were job hunting now, the beard would go (and probably the mustache too). Like it or not, there is a prejudice against both age and beards. If the entire staff at the prospective place is facial hair free, you could have a problem getting past the initial look over. I have had my beard for over 40 years, except for certain job hunting.
Durty's picture
Submitted by Durty on Tue, 07/10/2007 - 12:17
Shave it all off, then you won't have any hair left to worry about :)
H2Daddy's picture
Submitted by H2Daddy on Tue, 07/10/2007 - 12:17
Job hunting, shave it. Once you get the job, grow it back.

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